Anne- The Story of Friendship, Love, and Loss
by allicat1220
Summary: Anne is a little girl who's dad died in coal mining accident. Her mother is depressed and her little sister who follows her everywhere. Her best friend was picked to go into the Hunger Games against her. Her best friends mother wants her dead and her little sister is getting annoying. A Hunger Games story with a twist.
1. Chapter 1

The Hunger Games

Chapter 1

I woke up this morning as if was any normal day. But it's not. Today is the Reaping. I get up and look at my sister, Layla's, bed.

Since my father's death, my sister has been sleeping in my mother's bed that is deteriorating from grief. So, I have been trying support the three of us.

I scavenge what I can and make anything out of the small inventory of food and herbs we have.

I get up and make an egg from the one hen we have. _At least we'll have tesserae very soon, _I think

Since today is the Reaping, everyone gets the day off. I go to hang out with twins Theo and Lynette, my best friends.

I go to the place where we meet to talk, the abandoned train station. I find that their already there.

"Annie! Look at what we got." Lynette said, holding a whole basket of blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries.

"Oh my goodness! This must have cost you a fortune." I exclaimed.

"Only a gallon of goat milk. Extra generous on Reaping day." said Theo.

We dug in, stuffing ourselves. But, we found we only ate it to the halfway mark.

Lynette took out a small bag from her knapsack and handed it to me.

"Just something small. Open it." She said.

"You didn't have to get me anything, besides I didn't get you guys anything." I said.

"Open it." Theo demanded."It's a gift."

"Fine. But, let me give you something." I looked through my bag until I found what I was looking for. "There!" I yelled. I handed them each a baggie of coffee beans, a luxury. I was going to trade them for sewing material.

"Wow! Thanks!"

And then I opened my gift. It was a lovely pin shaped like a flower decorated with shiny spheres that caught the light almost like a rainbow.

"Pearls." Explained Lynette.

"So beautiful." I was mesmerized.

Suddenly, we heard a familiar sound. The sound of the church bell ringing. We had to go home and get ready for the Reaping.

When I got home, my mother was waiting for me. She had out her best Sunday dress for me to wear. I bathed and she combed my hair and did my hair.

My mother offered me food, but I declined because I was nervous.

The final bell rung and we were pulled into the town square and categorized by our age.

The Reaping is a day when all of the children aged from 12 to 18 enter a drawing. You enter one name when you are 12 and one adds each year. You have a choice to add more names if you sign up for tesserae and oats which is a program where they supply you with tesserae and oats for the year. If you get drawn from the Reaping, you have to fight to the death between all 12 districts. Each district has to give a girl and a boy, which means if you're picked, you have to fight 23 tributes.

When everybody was in place, the spokesperson for our district, Effie Trinket, came and put on the video of the history of the Hunger Games and how the 13 districts rebelled against the Capital and a war started and how district 13 was blown up by a nuclear weapon. And now every year for the past 74 years, the Hunger Games is a way to show that they have power over the districts. Then, the mayor went up to the microphone and gave a speech written out by the Capitol. Then, the Reaping really begins. Effie Trinket went up to the microphone and to the two large clear, glass boxes and says the same thing she says every year.

"Ladies' first" she yelled excitedly, in her stupid Capitol accent.

_Why do people from the Capitol get pleasure from our suffering?_

She pulls a slip and with very long and polished fingers, and read 'Anne Knowles'.

I will be going to the 74th annual Hunger Games.


	2. Chapter 2

The Hunger Games

Chapter 2

My heart stopped. I felt dizzy.

I stood straight and walked on stage. I looked around the town square and found Lynette crying and her friend comforting her. Theo was biting his lip and his eyes were staring blankly into space.

"Hello, young lady. Now, time for the young man." She pulled out one of those stupid slips yelled a stupid name. _Wait. That's not a stupid name. It's Theo!_ I felt relief. Then, I thought_ Oh crap. Not Theo. My best friend. Almost like a brother. I don't want to kill him._

He stood next to me.

"May the odds be ever in your favor!" shouted Effie Trinket.

The next few minutes were a blur. The Peacekeepers came and took us to the Building where we were to wait until people would come and give us our goodbyes.

We were each put in a room with a table, a chair, and a red couch.

I sat down on the couch as I was instructed, and waited.

The first people who came to see me were my sister and my mother. Mother sat in the chair. I was afraid she was going to break down. But, instead she just hugged me. "I love you." She whispered in my ear. "I'll be praying for you." Layla just cried.

The next person was Lynette. I could tell she'd just visited her brother because of the tearstains on her face. I felt bad for her because she would be losing her brother and her best friend if district 12 didn't have a victor. And, if we did have a victor, she'd be losing Theo or me.

All she said was "Don't kill him, please. And… Good luck. If he doesn't win, I hope it's you."

The last person to visit me was Jana, Theo's mother. She was nice for someone who wanted her son to beat me at the Hunger Games even if it meant I would die. She told me, "Good luck." I knew she didn't mean it.

The Peacekeepers came and took me out of the depressing room. I glanced over my shoulder and saw Layla walking behind me. That's strange. I never knew they let family members come with the tributes to the Train of the Capitol.

If they didn't see her it was fine by me.

The Train was huge. They led me to my room, Layla following. My room had a four-poster bed, a dresser, huge closet, and a bathroom. Layla sat on my bed jumping up and down to feel the softness. I went into the bathroom and peeled off my clothes.

The shower had all sorts of nozzles for pressure, heat, and drying, a far cry from the cold pond in which we would bathe ourselves.

I fell asleep with Layla at my feet.


End file.
